old is new again

Before we moved to Texas, Jessica brought me our dad's old desk and dresser.  When I say old, I mean that these were our dad's furniture when he was a boy.  They were in Jessica's room growing up, I had the desk in law school, then they went back to Jessica, in Garrett's room until he outgrew them.  They have a sentimentality, and neither Jessica nor I could ever give them away.  But neither one of us had use for them.  Until now....

Honey pine, scratches, dents, and some artistic renderings in marker....

Memaw and PawPaw gave Britton a roll top desk for Christmas last year.  Britton loves it, but she's outgrown the desk, and she needed a new one.  My dad's old desk was taking up space in the garage, but I hadn't considered it because of it's present condition.  Then it occurred to me that I could use the desk, if I could give it a facelift.  The desk can have history, but doesn't have to stand still in time!  So I called up Jessica to make sure she didn't mind me painting it, and I headed off to Lowes for some Valspar chalky paint (color is Beaded Reticule).

It took two coats of paint and poly, and I had the old scratches and artwork covered.  It was my first time using Valspar chalky paint, which was an absolute dream, and so much cheaper than Annie Sloan.  Plus, they will mix any color!  The poly on the other hand, not great.

See how the drawer are darker?  The poly "yellowed" on the drawers only (I have no idea why only the drawers were affected).  It gives the desk a more vintage "aged" look, but I wasn't necessarily going for that.  But at the point, what can I do?  I'm not repainting the entire desk, that's for sure!

I let it dry over 24 hours, and then we got it into Britton's room today.  She loves it!  So much room and storage for all her notebooks and art supplies.  She said, "I can do my homework here!  And draw!"  And with her new bedding (mermaid sheets and a seafoam comforter) the color of the desk looks great in her room.  

The makeovers don't stop there - we're having a bookcase built in the family room for our final (for now) project.  I'll share pictures when we get the house all put together!

barrett: 38 months old

Admittedly, I actually did take Barrett's 38 month pictures on time, but with the goings on last night in Dallas, I was glued to the television all night.  Suffice it to say, I forgot to actually write about Barrett!  The threes aren't hitting Barrett nearly as hard as they hit Britton (and us), and Barrett's default setting is "happy"!  He's into everything, now that his toys are all unpacked.  He loves his Mega blocks, Legos, trucks, wood-working table (pretend), and trains. Oh, does this boy love trains, and any kind of train will tickle his fancy.  

Barrett went from being afraid of the "swimming pool" (what he calls the pool, and yes, it is adorable every time he says it!), to now swimming by himself in his life jacket.  It's a hoot to watch - he kicks but doesn't really swim with his arms, so he's this grinning head above water with his hat and sunglasses on.  

Likes:  playing with Britton, swimming with the hubs, bananas, ice cream pops, anything to do with the hose

Dislikes: when Nella won't get near him (seriously, she only lets Britton cuddle her), me unpacking boxes when he wants to play

83 months old

Mea culpa time people - this July 2nd picture was taken today.  We've been so busy with moving to Houston that July 2nd came and went in a blur of unpacking a sea of boxes (I'm still not finished) and going in the pool to deal with the 110 degree heat index.  You may notice Britton's chair looks different - it's the chair in our family room.  When we put all of Britton's furniture in her room, we added a full bed instead of her twin bed.  That took up more room, and combined with her room being smaller than before, the chair would not fit.  Luckily, one of the movers has a baby girl and wanted the chair, so we paid it forward and handed it off.  It was a sad moment for me though - that was the first real piece of furniture the hubs and I ever bought for Britton's room, and we had it for seven years.  

Britton is adjusting well to the move.  She loves the pool, swimming with her face mask and mermaid tail.  And of course, Nella only snuggles with Britton.  That cat loves Britton more than anyone else.   We still read most nights before bed, and we can't seem to pull ourselves away from the Rainbow Magic Fairies series.  Tomorrow, the hubs, Britton, and Barrett are going to explore our new library, and I think Britton is old enough to get her own library card! 

Likes:  playing my dad's guitar, rigging up pulley systems using string and her dresser knobs, swimming, King's sweet Hawaiian rolls, shave ice, doing my make up

Dislikes:  when Barrett wants her iPad/her food/her pool toys/etc.